The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-12-07
SOME CURIOUS IMPORTS.
ODD ARTICLES SENT TO A GREAT
COMMERCIAL CITY.
Hindoo Money to Adorn Toys-A
Use for Buffalo Horns Hard
Wood "Dollies," Etc.

Hindoo Money to Adorn Toys-A
Use for Buffalo Horns Hard
Wood "Dollies," Etc.
In Liverpool, which is one Of the
greatest centres Of mefcahtile industry in
the world, there are some two thousand
articles of import and export upon which
dock rates and town dues are charged.
Some of these heads contain many items.
There are at least five descriptions of
feathers, each with separate value on
them for rating; ten kinds of hair; eight
cen of nuts; twenty-five 6f empty pack
ages; twenty seven of gums; thirty-fout
of bark; seventy-two of iron; and one
hundred and thirty-six of wood, includ-
ing wooden articles.
The very names of many articles of
merchandise would be as Greek to the
classical scholar and their uses as the
Eleusinian or Rosictncian mysteries; yet
the merchant must understand all about
them, the lands which furnish them, the
weather which rules their production, the
habits of the people who prepare and pack
them, the kind of ship which alone is
suitable in which to bring them home or
convey them out, and the chances for
their meeting with a market on either
side of the world; altogether no small
matter
TO persons unfamiliar with the imports
of the world it may be surprising to learn
that the little shells called "cowries, I"
used as money among the Hindoos, should
be a regular import. They are only
found, in considerable quantities, on the
shores of the Zulu group of islands, in the
Eastern Archipelago; and are brought to
Bombay in exchange for rice. During
the slave-trade they were exported from
Bombay to Africa for the purchase of
men, but now that they are useless in
that way, the wonder is they should be
worth the carriage to England simply for
the purpose OF covering toys and boxes.
This, however, is less their destination
than to be ground up for the manufac-
ture of some kinds of porcelain and
enamel-this last for making watch faces
and other ornamental articles, and for
enameling ladies' faces. Lately, the
amount of cowries imported has lessened
very considerably, so let us hope that
ladies have learned more sense than to
try to be made beautiful forever.
Buffalo horns at one time, some ten
years or SO ago, were brought home as
dunnage in every cotton ship. Dunnage
is the stowage of articles a. ound the
sides and in the odd corners of the hold,
for the better preservation of the cargo
from damp or other injury. For this
purpose these horns were very suitable;
but the quantity which was brought
home was far beyond the demand for
horn buttons, combs, knife handles, etc.
What became of the remainderl They
were exported again, this time to France
and Italy, where they were boiled down
and cut into strips, to use as whalebone
for umbrellas and pacasols. There was a
prejudice against the use of steel or iron
wires for this purpose in the countries
named as very terrible thunder storms
occur there, and it was feared that they
would attract the lightning. Either the
thunder storms are less severe, or the
timidity of the French and Italians has
lessened of late years, for this import is
now but a trivial one.
"Dollies" has, indeed, = very babyish
sound, but they are only sort of pegs,
set in wooden handle, and used by
every ancashire washerwoman as assist
ance in her art. Being constantly
wetted in hot water they wear longer
when formed from hard wood, which
is sent from North America, chiefly New
York. "Nerves of CATTLE" 'barrow
bodies, " "cats of all kinds" and dead
eyes, "have all a peculiar sound, yet cat.
gut, wheelbarrows, furs, and pulleys arc
all legitimate objects for import and ex-
port "Bulrushes" are brought from
Holland, with wooden hoops for coop
ering casks; ''cinders," ''clinkers," :" and
"dross," for making roads, come home as
ballast, with gravel, ano many kinds Of
stone; ''acorns" of peculiar sort from
Italy are used in dyeing. g.-Neto York Oh.
serUer.